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Breast-Feeding News Roundup

By Lisa Belkin March 31, 2011 4:42 pmMarch 31, 2011 4:42 pm

Illustration by Barry FallsBreastfeeding

A number of breastfeeding stories have been in the news the past week or so.

First, a study from Montana State University, published online in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, suggests that women who breastfeed their babies are seen as less competent and less employable than those who bottle feed. Researchers constructed three scenarios that asked subjects’ perceptions of women; in all the scenarios (you can read detailed accounts of them here; one involves Brooke Shields …) women who were described as nursing mothers were rated to be less capable than those described without that bit of information. The authors concluded: “although breastfeeding may be economical and healthy, the social cost is potentially great.”

Over at Bigthink.com, David Berreby then questioned the study, saying that it merely shows that subjects respond to any “stereotype.” Respondents were also less likely to rate women as less competent when they were described in a way that had sexual overtones, he notes (for example, in one of the scenarios a woman was described as wearing a strapless bra). The only real control here, he says, would be a parallel set of scenarios in which men were or were not described as using Viagra or having a prostate exam. If respondents also rated them as less competent, Mr. Berreby argues, what has been proven is that increasing awareness of one’s anatomy or sexuality is linked to a decreasing perception of capability. And, he says, we pretty much knew that already.

We also knew that some women who breastfeed are arguably less than competent. For instance, the 28-year-old North Dakota woman who sparked a national debate about a mother’s privacy rights in 2009 after she was arrested for breastfeeding her 6-week-old daughter while drunk. Stacy Anvarina was back in court this week, accused of being caught with drugs and alcohol 10 times in the past year, a violation of her probation. In the original incident, police officers investigated a domestic dispute complaint at her apartment and reported that she opened the door “holding her 6-week-old daughter upside down by one leg,” Fargo radio station WDAZ recalled yesterday, adding, “she was also shaking the baby, too drunk to support the infant’s head, and breast-fed the baby three different times while police were present.”

In other breastfeeding news, researchers from Durham University, in Britain, reported this week that the longer a mother is pregnant and the longer she nurses, the larger her baby’s brain. This is true not only in humans, but in 128 mammal species, concluded the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This would sound like an endorsement of breastfeeding, except the research did not compare the brains of children who are nursed longer versus those of children who were nursed less, but rather compared average brain size and maternal time investment between species. It seems to require a longer pregnancy (nine months) and nursing time (up to three years) to support the growth of an “enormous” (1,300 cc) human brain, the anthropologists who did the research say, than is required (a seven-month pregnancy and up to six months of nursing) for a deer’s much smaller (220 cc) brain.

Still, more breastfeeding, more brain growth — reason to encourage nursing no matter what the perceived competence, right? Okay. So, how early do you send that message?

If you say the earlier the better, you should know that the Breast Milk Baby Doll was introduced this week in the United States. It comes with a halter top that has two plastic flower appliques at mid-chest level, where nipples would be. Both the flowers and the doll are equipped with sensors, such that when the doll’s mouth connects with the flower the doll begins to suckle. Anticipating the same sort of controversy that arose when the doll, called Baby Gloton (which translates to “Baby Glutton”), made its debut in Spain, the American distributor has come out swinging. An article posted on the distributor’s Web site, with the headline “God Supports the Breast Milk Baby,” says:

According to Dennis Lewis, U.S. spokesman for Berjuan Toys, “the whole purpose of the Breast Milk Baby is to teach children the nurturing skills they’ll need to raise their own healthy babies in the future. Breastfeeding is good for babies, it’s good for mommies and it’s good for society. We really don’t understand why this has created such controversy.”

According to Mr. Lewis, “The truth is that we’ve received overwhelming support online from all over the country. However, about 20% of the messages have been hateful and mean. We’re being called perverts and pedophiles for promoting feeding our babies the way God intended? Churches all over the world are filled with images of Mary nursing baby Jesus, and yet we can’t imagine letting our daughters learn how important breastfeeding is for our society?”

Use the comments below to discuss all things breastfeeding. Does the research showing women pay a workplace price for nursing ring true to you? Does confirmation that nursing is linked to brain development make any difference in whether and how long you nurse? Is it anyone’s business if you breastfeed while drunk? And are you planning to ever buy the Breast Milk Baby?

About

We're all living the family dynamic, as parents, as children, as siblings, uncles and aunts. At Motherlode, lead writer and editor KJ Dell’Antonia invites contributors and commenters to explore how our families affect our lives, and how the news affects our families—and all families. Join us to talk about education, child care, mealtime, sports, technology, the work-family balance and much more